As expected, former Sixers head coach Randy Ayers is rejoining the team as an assistant to Eddie Jordan.

Here is release from the team this afternoon:

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that Head Coach Eddie Jordan has named Randy Ayers as an assistant coach. Ayers joins a staff comprised of Associate Head Coach Mike O’Koren and Assistant Coaches Jim Lynam and Aaron McKie.

Ayers, who was head coach of the Sixers for 52 games during the 2003-04 season, previously served as an assistant coach on Jordan’s staff in Washington. The Wizards allowed just 99.2 points per game in his first season with the team in 2007-08 after allowing 104.9 ppg the season prior.

Prior to joining the Wizards, Ayers was an assistant coach with Orlando. In his two seasons with the Magic, Ayers helped the team lower its opponents scoring average from 101.8 ppg in 2004-05 to 96.0 ppg in 2005-06 to 94.0 ppg in 2006-07.

No stranger to Philadelphia, Ayers spent six-plus seasons as a member of the Sixers coaching staff, including the stint as head coach in 2003-04. As the top assistant under Head Coach Larry Brown, Ayers helped guide the Sixers to five consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001.

Ayers coaching career also includes an eight-season run as head coach at The Ohio State University, where he led the Buckeyes to four postseason appearances and back-to-back Big Ten Championships in 1991 and 1992. He was named National Coach of the Year by The Associated Press in 1991.

The 76ers have reached an agreement in principle to sign veteran center Primoz Brezec, according to multiple sources.

The deal is supposedly for one year at the minimum for a player with seven seasons of service in the NBA.

The 7-1 Brezec, 29, is expected to come to Philadelphia sometime next week. He is currently playing with the Slovenian National Team.

 Brezec spent last season in Italy after logging time with the Indiana Pacers, the Charlotte Bobcats, the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors.

More coming in tomorrow's Daily News.

The 76ers will open their season the same way last season ended — against the Orlando Magic.

The Sixers visit Orlando on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the opener, according to the NBA schedule released today.

The home opener at the Wachovia Center is two nights later against Milwaukee on Oct. 30.

The NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers make their only visit to Philadelphia on Jan. 29.

LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Cleveland comes to town on Dec. 16 and March 12.

The Sixers have two substantial stretches of road games — playing seven of eight away from home from Nov. 21 to Dec. 5 and their annual holiday road trip with six games from Dec. 22 to Jan. 3.

The first trip leads into five consecutive home games, beginning Dec. 7 against Denver.

OCTOBER
Wed. 28 AT Orlando, 7
Fri. 30 Milwaukee, 7
Sat. 31 AT New York, 7

NOVEMBER
Tue. 3 Boston, 7
Fri. 6 New Jersey, 7
Sun. 8 AT Detroit, 1
Mon. 9 Phoenix, 7
Wed. 11 AT New Jersey, 7:30
Fri. 13 Utah, 7
Sat. 14 AT Chicago, 8
Wed. 18 Charlotte, 7
Fri. 20 Memphis, 7
Sat. 21 AT Cleveland, 7:30
Tue. 24 AT Washington, 7
Wed. 25 AT Boston, 7:30
Fri. 27 Atlanta, 7
Sun. 29 AT San Antonio, 7
Mon. 30 AT Dallas, 8:30

DECEMBER
Wed. 2 AT Oklahoma City, 8
Sat. 5 AT Charlotte, 7
Mon. 7 Denver, 7
Wed. 9 Detroit, 7
Fri. 11 Houston, 7
Mon. 14 Golden State, 7
Wed. 16 Cleveland, 7
Fri. 18 AT Boston, 7:30
Sat. 19 Los Angeles Clippers, 7
Tue. 22 AT Washington, 7
Sat. 26 AT Utah, 9
Mon. 28 AT Portland, 10
Wed. 30 AT Sacramento, 10
Thu. 31 AT L.A. Clippers, 9:30

JANUARY
Sun. 3 AT Denver, 8
Tue. 5 Washington, 7
Fri. 8 Toronto, 7
Sat. 9 AT Detroit, 7:30
Mon. 11 New Orleans, 7
Wed. 13 New York, 7
Fri. 15 Sacramento, 7
Mon. 18 AT Minnesota, 3:30
Wed. 20 Portland, 7
Fri. 22 Dallas, 7
Sat. 23 AT Indiana, 7
Mon. 25 Indiana, 7
Wed. 27 AT Milwaukee, 7
Fri. 29 L.A. Lakers, 7
Sun. 31 AT New Jersey, 6

FEBRUARY
Wed. 3 Chicago, 7
Fri. 5 AT New Orleans, 8
Sat. 6 AT Houston, 8:30
Tue. 9 Minnesota, 7
Wed. 10 AT Toronto, 7
Tue. 16 Miami, 7
Fri. 19 San Antonio, 7
Sat. 20 AT Chicago, 8
Tue. 23 AT Golden State, 10:30
Wed. 24 AT Phoenix, 9
Fri. 26 AT L.A. Lakers, 10:30

MARCH
Mon. 1 Orlando, 7
Wed. 3 AT Atlanta, 7
Fri. 5 Boston, 7
Sun. 7 AT Toronto, Noon
Tue. 9 AT Indiana, 7
Wed. 10 Charlotte, 7
Fri. 12 Cleveland, 7
Sun. 14 AT Miami, 6
Mon. 15 New York, 7
Wed. 17 New Jersey, 7
Fri. 19 AT New York, 7:30
Sat. 20 Chicago, 7
Mon. 22 Orlando, 7
Wed. 24 AT Milwaukee, 8
Fri. 26 Atlanta, 7
Tue. 30 Oklahoma City, 7
Wed. 31 AT Charlotte, 7

APRIL
Sat. 3 Toronto, 1
Tue. 6 Detroit, 7
Wed. 7 AT Miami, 7:30
Fri. 9 Milwaukee, 7
Sat. 10 AT Memphis, 7
Mon. 12 Miami, 7
Wed. 14 AT Orlando, 8
 

The NBA schedule will be released Tuesday afternoon, the league said today.

Check back here for the complete schedule.

The 76ers got the call a little before 2 p.m. They fell short in their attempt to add unrestricted free agent Hakim Warrick to their roster.

A source familiar with the situation confirmed that the 6-9 Warrick, a onetime star at Friends Central, has agreed to the terms of a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. Warrick, via agent Bill Duffy, is believed to have accepted a deal worth $3 million, even though the Sixers supposedly offered slightly more, dipping in to a portion of their $5.8 million mid-level exception.

The source said that Warrick, who spent the previous four seasons of his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies, saw a better opportunity for playing time with the Bucks. Warrick was listed with a salary of $2,119,102 last season when he averaged 11.6 points and 5 rebounds

Former Sixers guard Andre Miller says he is out to prove the critics wrong — again.

This time, his targets are the critics who are underwhelmed with Portland’s decision to sign Miller to a 3-year contract that could be worth as much as $21 million.

“I don’t really care what they think,” Miller said in an interview 95.5 The Game in Portland. “They probably didn’t want me in Philadelphia when I got moved there and there was no expectations when I got traded for Allen Iverson, so I mean, I went in to that situation and pretty much proved the critics wrong. I helped the team get to the playoffs and definitely could have helped the team get to the second round - we were close to getting to the second round for two years.

“So, I can’t worry about what’s going on off the court as far as critics, or whether it was a good or bad move. I think people will see that I’m a hard worker and I definitely make people better, I make people around me better.”

Miller also said with the Trail Blazers that he will just try to “blend in,” unlike what was asked of him with the Sixers.

“I feel coming in to a situation I won’t have to do as much,” he said. “When I was in Philadelphia, they relied on me to get the ball up the court, forcing the issue ...

“In order for the team to win we had to fast break, and if we didn’t fast break, we struggled. So, just me coming to the team I can go back to some of my old school ways as far as passing, moving without the ball, cutting, and spacing, and things like that. It’s gonna be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.”
 

Sixers forward Thaddeus Young scored 12 points in 19 minutes to help the Blue to a 100-81 victory over the White in a Team USA intrasquad exhibition game Saturday in Las Vegas.

The game capped a U.S. National Team minicamp, which gave the players exposure to the international game and to the Team USA officials who will select the roster for the world championships next year and the 2012 Olympics. Twenty players took part in the camp.

Young was 6-for-9 from the field with two assists and three steals.

The Sixers’ Andre Igoudala had seven points in 19 minutes for the Blue team. He shot 3-for-6 from the floor with three assists and two blocks.

Most of the spots on the U.S. roster for the 2010 world championships could be claimed by returning members from last year’s Olympic gold medalists. That could leave as few as three or four spots for newcomers.

“We thanked them for coming, we thanked them for the effort and they’re now part of the family,” Colangelo said. “They’re in the pipeline and we'll be back in touch with them. They have equity now in USA Basketball.”

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said the group will monitor the players on its radar during the upcoming NBA season, making some deletions and additions, to get to 25 players. Invitations for the world championships will be made in the spring.
 

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Andre Miller, the 76ers' unrestricted free agent, officially signed with the Portland Trail Blazers just before 7 tonight.

Miller had agreed to terms earlier in the day, but Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard waited until the deal was finalized before releasing the information.

The Blazers did not release length of term or dollar figures, but ESPN is reporting a three-year contract worth $21 million, with $14 million guaranteed in the first two years and the rest in a non-guaranteed third year. Miller earned $10.3 million with the Sixers last season.

In a statement, Pritchard said ''We are excited to add a player of the caliber and character of Andre Miller. He is one of the league's iron men who brings a wealth of veteran leadership to our team and is a great fit for our young and improving roster.''

Miller has played in 530 consecutive regular-season games, the longest active streak in the NBA.

Andre Miller has agreed to terms with the Portland Trail Blazers, agent Andy Miller has confirmed to the Daily News.

The deal is believed to be for two or three years with a starting salary higher than the mid-level exception of $5.8 million. Portland had $9 million in salary cap space meaning the Blazers did not have to do a sign-and-trade with the Sixers.

The Blazers turned their attention to Miller when they could not finalize a deal with David Lee of the New York Knicks. Negotiations with Miller picked up speed in the last 24 to 48 hours.

“I think this is a good deal,” Andy Miller said. “I think it is a great deal for the marketplace.”

Look for more coverage of this story in tomorrow’s Daily News.